Using my horse as a lesson horse in exchange for free board...?

Question

Ok so I am a starving college student w/ a horse to take care of. I have had him forever and I am not willing to give him up, but I am drowning in my bills. My mother in-law has a couple horses at a very nice Equestrian Center. She said that the Barn will take in my horse free of room and board, in exchange for letting them use him as a lesson horse. Now my big question is what about Iiability, do you think they would make me liable if someone were to get hurt? I know that I should be asking them and when it comes down to it I will. In the mean time what do you think? If they are going to have this kind of program don't you think they wouldn't make you liable? It would seem to risky if they were to hold you responsible...

Answer 1

I don't think that they will hold you responsible for any kind of injury when someone is riding your horse

you could offer to ride your horse in front of them and do what they wat you to do (like you are being give a lesson) and while you are riding you could explain what you are doing (ex: "if you just pull to a jump he gets and but if you  give too loose a rein he will take advantage and run to the jump so it works well as long a you whoa and give) and then they will know exactly what kind of riders can him and then there will be a small chance that anyone will get hurt anyways

Answer 2

You'd need to talk to the barn about forming a contract. That way you know exactly who is liable for what. I'd assume since they'd be using him, they'd be liable.

I understand about being a poor college kid. I had to sell my horse when I left for college. I wish I had the opportunity you now have.

Good Luck! :)

Answer 3

Katie gave you a very good answer.  I'll see if I can add to it.

First, in many states there is an equine liability law and that will help with you getting sued, but to be honest, if something does go to court they sue everyone who is remotely involved.  You'll check to make sure the barn has great liability insurance and that you're included.  

Second, are you willing to have your horse's training "changed".  Different riders and different trainers can really change a horse, sometimes for the better, sometimes for the worse but it will be a different horse that you'll get back.

Have a contract written by a lawyer.  That will be a bit of expense but well worth it if your horse is hurt and should help guarentee his care.

Personally, I think the better thing but more difficult thing to do is to lease him to one person that you can really trust.  Then just one person would be riding him.  Another option might be for pasture board somewhere out in the booneys.

But, a really good riding instruction program should take very good care of your boy.  Just make sure this is a very good program.  The high end, snooty type places are no guarentee of quality.

Answer 4

I would want to know what liability you have if a rider were to get hurt, and make sure you have any signed paperwork releasing you of liability.

Another big concern is what if your horse gets hurt being used in a lesson....are they liable for all vet bills associated with the injury?  Get that in writing too.

If your horse throws a shoe during lessons, do they have to pay for it?  I would also want a set lesson schedule so you know when your horse will be used, how many days per week, and what times, so you can schedule your rides around that.  You might also want to stipulate what type of lessons he can be used for (if you're a western rider and don't want him used for jumping or something)

You can always try it out for a month or so, but I personally wouldn't want my horse being used by beginners because I show him, and wouldn't want him getting away with stuff and learning bad habits from other riders, and I just don't trust anybody as much with my horse.

I would also call some barns that are maybe a further drive, but out in the boonies a little bit that might have cheaper board.  I was in the same situation in school, and found a place 30 mins from my campus for only $200/month that I was really happy with.  The barns near campus were like $450/month.

Answer 5

Be very careful.  If the horse is yours, you are liable for any injury he may cause another horse or a rider.  You may want to consider leasing him to the stable in exchange for room and board.  This would make the stable liable for any damage he does.  Be sure to sign and have the stable sign a lease agreement.  You can do a search on-line and find some really good horse lease agreements.

I do not understand why you would have to ride English just because the other riders do.  It's your horse (unless you lease him to the stable).

You might want to find out how often he would be ridden and how he would be ridden.  You don't want some dumb A S S to ruin your horse by handling him incorrectly.

You really should have a written, detailed agreement in place before you take your horse over there.  Be sure you have plenty of time to review the agreement and give the stable the chance to read it over, too.  

Good luck.

Answer 6

I don't think you would be held responsible if anything happened, if the owner has a sign that says not responsible for injury or death. But there some little problems. Although your horse would be a great lesson horse theres a problem. Do you show at all? With other people riding your horse, the horse may pick up bad habits, be unwilling since the student wouldn't make the horse do anything.

But in this situation I'd go with that, just talk with the instructor that you'd like certain level kids riding the horse. Or if the instructor can jump on after the lessons and reschool your horse if needed. I'm going to college next year and I know I'll have to make a decision like that with my pleasure prospect. Before I make my final decision, I'm planning on going to the barn and watch several lessons to see how their taught, and how the kids act.

Answer 7

This depends what state you're in.  Check out the equine liability laws where you are; you may be surprised.

Look into getting some liability insurance before you do this.  It'll give you a lot of peace of mind and security at a reasonable cost. (No, I don't sell insurance! :D )

Even if the Center owner completely releases (indemnifies) you from liability, they can't release other people's rights.  If the horse kicks someone, that person has the right to sue you.  If that person doesn't feel it necessary but they use their health insurance, the insurance company has the right to sue you.

I know in Ohio, if the person kicked chose to be involved with the horse, you won't be liable, but you can still be sued.  On the other hand, if the horse gets loose and kicks somebody, they can and will sue the pants off you, and they'll win.

As a starving college student, you're pretty well unsue-able because you have no funds, but in that case they could well go after your parents, even if you're over 18 but under 25  (full time student).  Or your spouse.

Of course,all this is true whether you lease or not, but  you should be aware of it.  If you do decide to let the Center use your horse, make sure that the Center indemnifies you (and if possible will defend you) and that each person who enters the barn indemnifies both the Center and you as the owner (this is standard legalese; not a lot to ask).  If they have this paperwork in place, you're probably good.

To be totally certain, you can probably get an insurance policy to cover your liability.  If you aren't making money off the horse, your homeowner's liability covers it, but as you are getting quantifiable value in return for the use of the horse, it probably won't.  Be sure to consult your insurance agent before you do this.

On the other hand...  do you want your Western horse retrained and ridden exclusively English?  By beginners, because the stable won't be doing it, the lesson kids will?  I wouldn't want it for my horse.  It will cost more to undo it than you're getting in board.

The best option is to find a cheaper place to board him or free-lease him to someone you trust, with the proper insurance in place.

Answer 8

I would agree that a contract outlining everything is the best way to go.  It might be a good idea to have it notarized.  In all sensible logic, you should NOT be liable if someone got hurt, because the horse is in the care of the barn and they are using him for their own purposes.  However, that doesn't mean that greedy people won't try to sue.

My horse was used for lessons once in exchange for free board.  It was alright in the sense that I could still ride her and ride her how I wanted, but it was sometimes frustrating that I would go to ride and the trainer would be getting ready to use her in a lesson because the normal horse for that specific lesson was lame or something weird.  So even though I knew the schedule of her lessons, it was subject to change at any point and sometimes I didn't know about it.  Also, I didn't like that she was used almost more than any other lesson horse there.  Granted, she didn't do much but walk and trot because most of her lessons were kids, but still.  And I guess it wasn't too bad because my trainer would give her a short ride once a week to make sure she was staying consistent, because lack of consistency is a big problem with lessons---a bunch of different people riding=too many cooks in the kitchen.  And actually, I added it up once and in all reality, I should have been paid for her use, even though it was in exchange for board.  He charged $30/lesson at the time, and board was about $450 including feed and everything else.  He used her for about 8 lessons a week, which would have amounted to $240/week=$960/month! I think I was getting ripped off! lol